Wanna Know How To Cultivate a Servant's Heart in Your Child/Children?

You wanna know how to cultivate a servant's heart?

You start young and show them Christ.......

You say yes when they ask if they can help. No matter how busy you are. No matter how much time you don't have to show them...show them anyway. Even if it's in really small ways. They feel, no matter how little the task, they are helping in really BIG ways.

Not only do they feel good about helping, they feel loved because they've been included. And the icing on the cake? They learn a new skill. Teach your kids to be self sufficient. Give them responsibility. Trust them with the little things and gradually it will grow to the BIG things.

It's okay to push a little hard. Encourage them! Tell them, "YES YOU CAN, JUST KEEP TRYING!"

And eventually those little things become HUGE accomplishments! Let them know that they are an important part of your family. Tell them you need them to make this family run smoothly. We all need to pitch in. We are a unit and when one part of the unit is down, hurt or broken, someone else has to pick up the slack and do double duty.......

It makes a big difference when they see that they are an important piece to your family puzzle and that with out them they are missed and needed. There is an empty space, a hole......

We work together to take care of each other....It's important. THEY are important!

And sometimes it may take a little longer for one child to realize his importance, his place in the family....But Keep keeping on....Don't give up! They will come around. I'm slowly seeing evidence of this in one of our own.....

Sometimes they just need a little more push, a little more reassurance that they are needed. That they are LOVED. Yes I have discovered that all my kids have similarities but, at the same time they are all quite very different. Which means they need to be disciplined different and yes, sometimes even loved differently.

Let them know your learning too. Sometimes Mama and Daddy, Well we are gonna make mistakes. And as much as we need to give them grace, they need to learn grace too.

Sometimes it's a p-nut butter and jelly sandwich that starts them on the road to self reliance. All of my kids knew how to make a sandwich early. By age 5 they could make their lunch if Mama was tied up doing something else. Yes there was a mess at times and yes sometimes you have to let it go. P-nut butter does clean up. I promise!

Most of all they are watching you.....Every gesture you make. Every gift you wrap. The time that you give to strangers and friends even when you don't have the time to give. Every time you say yes and the times you say no. The times you encourage and the times you just walk away......

When you sacrifice your time they will notice. If you don't sacrifice your time, you will notice the evidence in their future. Cultivating a servant's heart takes Prayer, time, patience, love, and GRACE.....But it's so very worth the sacrifice!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I often wonder if this is where I am suppose to be at times.....And how much time should I devote to here? I often read posts (and I have been one that writes them too) that say "I'm quitting FB or Face time or Instagram or Twitter!"

 And here are the reasons why:

There are too many horrible things flying across the web.

 It takes up to much of my time.

 It's a huge distraction.

It's not real quality time.

This virtual world keeps you sucked in a vacuum, away from reality.

My family is being neglected.

And all the while I wonder, are places like these really a bad thing? And why do we as Christians turn and run when we see too much ugly inhabiting the places and spaces we are free to roam? I recall God's word telling us to be a light, to go out into the world. And so many times we turn and high tail it outta here!!

And isn't that the problem?.........We forget who we are? We forget what we were called to do?

Yes I believe places and spaces like these can become a distraction....And yes even a temptation. BUT a doughnut can also become a temptation and a distraction...Trust me I know! The funny thing is? God gave us the freedom to choose our time wisely. He gave us the freedom to choose healthy. He gave us the freedom to choose between good and evil!

The old familiar saying "Everything in moderation" rings so true! unless it's of the dark one, then it should never be in question.

And so many times we choose to just completely walk away....Don't get me wrong there are moments we need to walk away....from arguments, gossiping, filth and anything that tares someone else apart.

But to be a light means we need to go and inhabit those dark places. We have sat silent, turned and high tailed it outta here for way too long! All because we are afraid of confrontation. We don't want to offend.....

Well beloved I'm offended by how spineless we Christ followers have become!

So as many times as I myself have wanted to turn and burn.......I stay. I try and use my time wisely. (still a work in progress) For as many as the percentages say there are Christ followers, WE should be blazing and lighting up these spaces with LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, TRUTH, SUPPORT, and GOOD. The "dark one" high tails it outta here when there is LIGHT.

So many times these places have become a place to request prayer and to lift up praises.....It's a useful tool for fast communication. And with the way this world is we need to stay in touch with each other. We need to support each other!

So I am here to stay. I will choose my time wisely. I will choose what I see and say wisely. That I speak all that is pure and lovely and used to build others up. I choose to have a spine!

Disclaimer: Please hear my heart I am not judging any one or saying they are spineless who may have chosen to give the virtual world a break for a while....I completely understand the need to break away from it all. Above all else you need to do what you feel is right for you and your family. You need to go where you feel GOD tugging you..........

He Never Said Anything About Being Safe

I grab pictures and thumb through files. Anything I can hold onto just to hold on to what I'm not ready to let go.  And I tap these words to share with you not because I have it...Or that I have arrived, but because conviction shows up outside my heart's door step and I want you to know, I want you to see I'm traveling this road too.......Maybe at a different time and maybe this road you will never take, but I feel I must share anyway.

You see as strong as I feel I should be, I'm not really that strong at all. I make a phone call because I need to hear that burly voice that I fell in love with all of 42 years ago. I still have not quite recovered from last year's episode. My Daddy on the table with no life inside his vessel for a whole 11 minutes......And I breathe deep when he says "Hello my dear!" I smile wide cuz he's a huge part of my world and I have so much more I want to share with him before he says "So Long for now"........

What I know is that I can not cling to this life. What I know is I can not love with out GOD loving me first. But what I feel is weak........

I'm an encourager. I love to build people up. Tell them it's gonna be just fine. Tell them to just do what comes next. To do that next thing. "God's Got this!"

And I don't mind telling you that this life seems scary....And in my heart of hearts I know what is TRUTH and that's what I cling to......But sometimes I worry about this flesh of mine interrupting all that is good. I worry about worrying and about missing those that have gone before me. I worry about the emptiness.......

And the one person that keeps me grounded when this life of mine takes flight may not always be here for me every time I need him.

But that's just how unpredictable my God is....... Sometimes He takes away everything until you feel you have nothing but, HIM......And then you realize HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOUR EVERYTHING!

Writing this helps the sin soaked part of me realize how much more I need to cling to HIM and not to this life. And sometimes words are so much easier than actual real life living........It's one thing to encourage, and stay strong, it's another to actually be what you type, to be who you say you are in CHRIST.

And Beloved I want to be who I say I am. I want to feel HIS strength because none of this I can do on my own. It's hard to feel safe when your serving an unsafe GOD......... And He never said any thing about being safe this side of heaven, But He did share TRUTH and PROMISES kept. He's all about being the shelter in your storm and that in itself is a comfort to me.

Trials are bound to happen. It's inevitable.......To make us stronger, wiser, ready to win the race. So many souls don't have the finish line in sight, but we could be the water girls and boys on the side lines cheering them on.......

And isn't that what this life is all about? To be the encourager, the one who builds people up, the one who tells you to do the very next thing cuz God's got this!

And I love it when HE brings me full circle in a post.

One of my favorite scenes in "The Chronicles of Narnia"

“Is Aslan quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver. “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just plain silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

ARE. YOU. REAL?

I smile wide and talk much of what I know to be true. I tap letters and words and confuse quotations with commas, but I type on because that's how I come clean. That's how I show you the dirty corners of my life.

 I laugh nervously at the cluttered up floors when my niece comes over to visit as she trips over a toy. But I know she appreciates my messes. She knows my lived in, floor cluttered, dishes in the sink kind of messes are just real life......

And you can't be fully cleansed if you don't walk life honest and true. And I know I tell you over and over I need to be REAL because anything less is more failure in my sin soaked life. Being real is being tangible, touchable, approachable, lovable, gracefully acceptable.....And me? I'm all about GRACE.....I'm still learning GRACE.....

It seems I'm living this life in a whirlwind that keeps on spinning out of control and I'm trying to get it to stop so I can get off and ask for directions......

My peace only comes when I open God's Atlas......He seems to be telling me, showing me more and more how I need to just BREATHE and then LOVE. Love the diversity and the tangled up messes. To learn to LOVE uncertainty, because HE  is certain that He's Got this! My job is not to worry about the future. He is already there. I can't change the world with my words, but I can change the mess inside me.

With anything it always starts with just one.....One thought, One mind, One Heart, One Word, One tear, One sacrifice........

You can't stop the world but, you can start a LOVE REVOLUTION with-in you.

REVOLUTION: A sudden, complete or marked change in something............ or someone.

Anger breeds darkness and covers all of what's innocent and true. Hold your tongue from the lashing and whipping of hurtful words and speech. Love what is pure and true. Speak only what is encouraging to others. TRUTH is LIGHT........ Arguing and disagreeing separates and destroys. The "dark one" seeks to destroy all that is GOOD.

Forcing opinions or beliefs on anyone makes them run away, but LOVE makes them want to stay........

Love is UNITY. LOVE is REAL and I'm all about REAL.

ARE. YOU. REAL?

Rosemary Moments

Little flower girl digs her chubby fingers into the rich dark earth....Her nails filled thick with dirt. And she plants and pokes holes and sings God songs. I smile wide and soak it all in. She comes clumping along in her pink cow rubber boots wanting to know how to wash the thick layers of dirt off her hands.

I tell her to rub them in the Rosemary. And as she is washing her hands the fragrance fills the air and fills my senses! Have you ever smelled Rosemary after a gentle rain in the evening right at dusk? It's heavenly.....

 It's the little things like Mama telling her to wash her hands in the Rosemary, that she will always remember. And when ever she comes across it's fragrance, it will quickly whisk her away from where she is at any given moment and bring her back to Mama's garden. Bring her back to the God songs and the sunflower seeds.

Big events don't have to be planned to be remembered, for life to be remembered. Times cherished just have to be spent together even in the small ways. In the little everyday ways. It's what you do with your time...It's how you spend your time teaching, planting, caring, growing together. It's how you handle your moments. What you say. What you don't say. How you live, how you LOVE.....

It's making extra pie dough just so she can be with you....Doing the very same thing you do. Because these are the moments they will never forget! These kinds of moments are what they will cherish long after your time here.....The simple Rosemary Moments.

I remember those Rosemary moments...............

How To Live This Life And Still Have JOY

What I have lived and know to be true is that change is hard but, it is needed to grow. To be stretched is to venture into new territory and find another kind of wild peace......Because no matter where you go, His untamed LOVE always follows.....

What I know is, happiness and laughter should not come from taring someone else apart. If you find yourself in laughter because of someone else's failures or struggles then maybe you need to look with in and find what's failing in you........

Being judgmental should be left to the supreme Judge of this life. You can not judge what you have not lived. BUT you can live in a way that makes others see LIGHT. I believe people need to bring more GRACE to the table than judgement.......

I believe that WE can not fix all things. Some things are better left to God. Some things are none of your/my Business. You never know how God may be working in one's heart. He doesn't need us stirring the pot when He has them on simmer for a reason.

At the same time I know that when God says to move we need to move. When He says to speak, we need to talk in accountable love. We need to learn to listen to His undeniable Voice.We need to be able to separate our desires from His, so that in time we desire what He desires......That's how we live for the King. We empty ourselves of all that drowns us in sin and He fills us up with His Glory.

What I know is that ignorance is not bliss. It's a silent, deadly killer of precious life and freedom. And we all need to be aware of our surroundings. We need to inform and be open enough to be informed. It is then we have the right to make a clear, justifiable decision.

I believe that we have a choice. The freedom to choose JOY.

I believe that we should laugh a whole lot more than we do. Hug more often....even when it's awkward and you just don't feel like it.....

I believe that you should keep secrets when you are told to keep them.  I believe that if you love someone, then you will have respect for them...cherish them and not talk bad about them....I believe that even if you don't love that someone,WE should still keep our mouths shut.

I believe we have no right to complain about the simple things, complaining just makes life all that much harder on you and those that have to listen to you. Because I know that there are those that have it so much worse than you and I and they still have their JOY. They still feel blessed when it looks like they have absolutely nothing. They truly believe they have all they need while praising their Savior. I believe we need to learn from those brothers and sisters.

I believe you should always look for the good in someone even when you can't see their tiny flame flickering, because GOD may be stoking the embers.

I know that if you need someone to believe in you all you have to do is look up. No one believes in you like the Holy Father does!

What I know is that this life is but a whispered breath....There is no time for putting off and putting one on hold to fulfill an empty act that will mean nothing to their future and the future of those that will become your grands. What you do today matters to all of their tomorrows.......Whether you are 25, 45, 65, or 95 this one concept is critical! People live in a way that they have seen and watched others live. How are WE living?